FCC possible broadband access expansion for low-income families, the superhero challenging the norm, will new UN sanctions lead to another famine in North Korea?
FCC to decide on program to expand digital access for poor households
This week, the FCC is weighing whether to move forward on a plan to help low-income Americans get access online.
The five-member commission is voting Thursday on a program known as Lifeline, which would subsidize broadband access for low-income families.
The move could go far to address the so-called digital divide – including right here in Southern California, where low-income, foreign-born Latinos show one of the largest digital gaps of any group.
"There's an expectation in 2016 that people are connected to the Internet," said Jessica Gonzalez, executive vice president and general counsel of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a group in favor of the program. "And if you are not, you are missing opportunities."
Those include employment and educational opportunities, said Gonzalez, who noted that nationwide about 34 million Americans still lack high-speed Internet.
But the program has come under criticism in the past. A 2012 GAO report on the program found waste and fraud. Since then, the FCC says reforms have been put in place to respond to the problems, including a nationwide database to track participants and eliminate duplicate accounts. As of 2014, more than 12 million households were enrolled in Lifeline, up from about 7 million in 2008.
Click the blue play button above to listen to the full interview with Gonzalez.
#GoodSchools: KPCC listeners on what makes a good school
Recently on Take Two we launched a new series on education called #GoodSchools.
We've been taking a look at the multitude of choices out there for families in L.A. We've been talking with parents about how they're making sense of it all. And we've been asking "what makes for a good school?"
Here are some of the responses we've received:
Public school teacher and parent Cathy Scubik, of San Pedro:
"First it takes some really good, strong teachers... who know what they're doing and are given the freedom to do what they know how to do. I think the second big piece of a good school is the curriculum. That connects to the freedom that teachers have. I think having an authentic curriculum that's not publisher-driven, that's not imposed by a district, that is a solid, well-rounded curriculum that kids thrive within, I think that's a big part of a good school. And lastly I think that if you have engaged parents and families and support systems around the children who come to the school... and they're connected to their children and what's happening academically, I think that is a third really important piece."
Eagle Rock parent Bevin Ashenmiller:
"A good school district needs to put kids first, always. With limited resources a good district needs to be smart, working carefully to make sure that we are doing more with less and not less with more. A good school district recognizes the hidden curriculum broken buildings and a sea of asphalt communicate: That, despite what we say, we do not put children first. A good district is committed to figuring out a create a budget that maintains and upgrades our existing schools before building new schools that we can't maintain. A good district values and respects the humans who work together with us in this job of education. Not just the teachers and the children, but the nurses and gardeners, the counselors and principals, the parents and the janitors."
LAUSD middle school teacher Noriko Nakada:
"A good school to me is a community where students have the chance to learn and thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. It's where they have opportunities to make mistakes, figure out who they are, and find out what's really important to them. A good school is where students learn academics, but also they learn art and music and play. Good schools help students learn about other people and how to interact in a diverse world with so many different challenging situations. A good school isn't about test scores and can't be determined by checking the school's website. They're dynamic places that you have to visit and really set foot in and understand what's happening in classrooms where there are teachers who hopefully are inspiring and really thinking about how they can help their students find their place in the world. A good school district helps create these communities in every neighborhood. They help ensure that no matter where you live, there is a neighborhood school with a good teacher in every classroom who really understands the importance of their role within the system."
L.A. parent Alex Brideau:
"Beyond academic rankings and test scores, racial diversity and transit friendliness are important qualities that I look for in a school for my daughter."
Crystal Clayter in El Segundo:
"You absolutely have to have parent involvement, namely financial involvement. My kid is in the El Segundo School District and because the district is tiny and separate from LAUSD, you can see every dollar at work. Kids have enrichment programs in STEM fields, book fairs and read-a-thons, computerized white boards even in kindergarten classes, a garden, and they don't miss out on programs in music and art because of a shared-resource approach, wherein different kids have art and music on different days of the week. This is made possible by multiple fundraisers, at least one active event per month, and the El Segundo Education Foundation to which parents make monthly donations."
Angel Zobel-Rodriguez in San Fernando:
"A truly great school will have challenging academics and a variety of extra-curriculars or electives to help kids get through the day. It's not enough to have AP Calculus, there needs to be enough sections of that class that a student isn't choosing between a third year in language, orchestra, or that Calculus class."
People have also weighed in on Facebook:
Want to weigh in on what makes a good school? Let us know here.
Series: Good Schools
As part of its Good Schools series, Take Two looks at the education landscape in the Los Angeles area. That includes its public schools, magnets, charters, private institutions and dual-language programs. You’ll hear from parents, academics, teachers, kids and even a couple of TV show producers.
Read more in this series and let us know your thoughts on Facebook, or tweet us
and
with the hashtag #goodschools.
U.S. Drug Czar on President Obama's push for opiod addiction treatment
Every 19 minutes, someone dies from an opiod overdose.
Yesterday, President Obama spoke about that troubling statistic at a summit on prescription drug abuse and heroin. He noted that currently, more Americans are killed because of opiod overdose than in traffic accidents.
"Now you think about that," the President said. "A lot of people tragically die of car accidents and we spend a lot of time and a lot of resources to reduce those fatalities. And the good news is that we've actually been very successful. The problem is here we've got the trajectory going in the opposite direction."
The President also announced a package of new initiatives designed to combat drug use.
Michael Botticelli, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, joined Take Two to discuss.
To listen to the full interview, click the blue player above.
Sports roundup: UConn's winning streak and Lakers drama over a leaked video
Is UConn's winning streak hurting women's basketball, and the leaked video that has the Lakers livid with marquee rookie D'Angelo Russell.
That's the news in the sports this week with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky.
North Korea could face famine of biblical proportions, state newspaper warns
Back in 1994, the country of North Korea suffered a famine of biblical proportions.
Years of economic mismanagement, drought and floods resulted in a four-year period of starvation and economic decline, known to North Koreans as the "Arduous March."
There are no official numbers from the government, but some human rights groups put the death toll in the millions.
So when a North Korean newspaper suggested earlier this week that it might be time for the country to prepare for another famine, the world took notice.
The announcement follows a fresh wave of sanctions, leveled by the UN after several nuclear tests by the North.
Now, many are concerned about what will happen to the Korean people if the sanctions continue.
For a look at the potential impact of these new sanctions, Take Two spoke to David Kang, director of the Korean Studies Institute at USC.
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.
Faith, the fat superhero, flies past stereotypes
In the world of comic books, female superheroes are few and far between. When they do show up, they tend to look a certain way: tiny waist, long legs, very buxom.
Then there's Faith Herbert. By day, she's a whip-smart reporter in Los Angeles. By night, she's a brave crime fighter... a brave, plus-size crimefighter.
Faith isn't new to the superhero scene. She's been around since the '90s, fighting with a group of super-powered teen outcasts known as the Renegades. They're featured in the comic book series Harbinger.
This particular Faith comic book mini-series, penned by Jody Houser, is Faith's first solo foray.
Houser spoke to Take Two host Alex Cohen about the joys and challenges of writing "Faith."
Interview Highlights:
On how to describe Faith:
"I actually had to discuss that... a friend of mine pointed out the word fat in and of itself is not a negative, it's just a descriptive. It's only when people use it as an insult that it takes on those negative connotations. So, I feel like I'm sort of getting to the point where I can say she is a fat woman and I think it's more the intention behind the word, rather than the word itself."
On setting the story in Van Nuys:
"Well, L.A. seems likes a great place for a character who's setting out for that first-time adult life... and I specifically put her apartment in Van Nuys because you see a lot of times the young people on TV shows, they have apartments that are way too big for them to afford... so she's living in a nice studio but it's in Van Nuys so her rent is fairly affordable. And because she can fly its okay for her to get to her job in Mid-Wilshire, she doesn't have to worry about traffic."
On the response to Faith:
"Well, actually I think the most moving response I've gotten is from people who are so excited to see someone who looks like them in a comic and who's not being treated as a joke, an actual serious legitimate character. And I remember a friend of mine...she told me that she cried because she'd never seen a superhero that looked like her on the cover of a book before. And you know, to think of going through your whole life and not seeing a character that you can really identify with like that, I mean that's a really moving thing..."
On getting in Faith's mindset:
"I think I've mostly approached Faith via the things we do have in common. We're both lifelong geeks, we like a lot of the same TV shows and comics and movies. So I've sort of come at it from that angle... when there have been instances where I wasn't sure if something felt quite right I would talk to a friend of mine who has lived through that experience. And I think any time you're writing a character different than you, any time you're not sure about something the best thing you can do is do research or get someone's opinion. Because, especially in terms of someone like this, where there's very little representation you don't want to mess it up..."
"Faith" is a Valiant comics series. The latest issue, Faith #3 is out Wednesday, March 30.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
The Styled Side: paying for some inner peace
Dim the lights, play some relaxing music and hand over your credit card.
Relaxation comes at a hefty price in Los Angeles, says contributor Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily.
"There's a new wave of serenity in L.A. with businesses to help busy, stressed-out Angelenos bliss out," she says.
While New Age-meditation is not new to Southern California, the capitalist takeover of it is.
"The people trying to get ourselves to relax and unplug from our crazy lives? They're all reformed Type-A sorts," she says, "and guess what? They are marketing to the very people they once were."
It is an increasingly lucrative business: complementary and alternative medicine have seen a 65 percent increase since 2010 to $113 billion. Meanwhile the spa industry alone grew 58 percent from $60 billion in 2007 to $94 billion in 2013.
Tyree points out some of the studios leading this trend:
- Unplug, a chic mediation studio started a couple of years ago by a stressed-out Type-A former Vogue editor and transplant from New York.
- The Den Mediation Studio, a newly opened spot in the Miracle Mile. It was started by former NBC exec Tal Rabinowitz because she couldn't find a studio or place to practice outside the office. You can do everything from book a lunchtime mediation detox, buy packages for classes, or do your own self-guided mediations in one of their stylishly peaceful rooms.
- The Now, a relatively new massage studio near The Grove where one hour costs $60. While inexpensive massages are not new, this one is designed with a style in mind so it is not a drab experience: it offers a cool and stylishly boho retreat and eschews the traditional spa setting for something far more accessible and affordable.